


The nights are getting long

by voices_in_my_head



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU of the ending, spoilers for Infinity War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 17:36:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14454354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voices_in_my_head/pseuds/voices_in_my_head
Summary: Spoilers for Infinity War"Thor started walking away."





	The nights are getting long

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for Infinity War. Don't continue if you don't want to be spoiled.
> 
> Actual summary of the fic for those that have seen the film or just don't care about being spoiled: "Instead of going for the chest, Thor cuts off Thanos' head. This is the aftermath."

Once Thor cut off Thano’s head with a clean strike, he made sure to separate the hand with the gauntlet from the rest of his body as well, just to be on the safe side.

As it fell away from Thanos’ body, Thor stared down at it. The Stones were so small… yet so powerful. They had brought such havoc, such pain… such death.

Thor stared at them. The green one was the Time Stone. He could pick it up and use it. Thor raised his arm just a few inches before dropping it again. Where exactly should he stop changing time? Just a few hours before, when Thanos had not yet reached them? Or go further back and stop Loki from stealing the throne from Odin? For surely, together, they could kill Hela before she destroyed Asgard.

He could possibly go even more back. It was hard to pinpoint a moment when Loki had turned so cold towards them, when he had felt more hatred towards his family than love, but if Thor went back to their childhood, he could make sure that never happened.

And what of Hela? Should he not go back and make sure Odin never used her as his weapon? Thor did not owe her anything, yet the thought did cross his mind.

Then he thought of his mother, sweet queen Frigga. She had not known the future, but she said that sometimes she got glimpses of possible outcomes, some that did come to pass, some that did not.

Thor had asked her many times why she never told people what was to come, especially after battle, when he had rejoiced at the victory, but couldn’t help the sadness at the lost comrades.

_“It is not for us to change the future, Thor. What has to pass, will come to pass, whether we will it or not,” Frigga had answered more often than not, always with a sad smile and eventually Thor had stopped asking, though he never stopped wondering._

This was his chance.

Thor could hear people approach him, though the sounds of battle could also still be heard. Thanos’ army had not stopped just because he was dead. Perhaps they weren’t even aware of it.

Thor wondered if one of his children would try and come for the gauntlet. Surely none of them had the strength to wield all six stones… Thor didn’t have it, he was sure. But one…

Thor reached his hand once more, and this time didn’t stop until he had taken off the Time Stone from its place. It took strength, it didn’t simply want to come out and Thor remembered the Aether flowing through Jane’s body, how it had seemed to want to control her.

He wondered exactly how much sentiency these Stones had. Had they tried to stop Thanos from his path? Or had they instead rejoiced in the suffering?

“Thor,” someone called his name and ah, Steve had gone to him. Thor recognized the tone from the times they had fought together. It was his “listen to me, I am your leader and I am telling you what to do” tone.

“I am Groot,” Thor said in response. _Stop them._

Groot sent him a look. In truth, neither he nor the rabbit owed him any allegiance – _no one did, Asgard was dead_ – but he hoped he had proved himself enough to them that they would follow him one more time.

Thor nodded and Groot nodded back, enlarging his arms so that no one could approach Thor.

“Thor!” This time Steve’s tone was louder, though no less decisive. He took a step forward, but stopped when the rabbit pulled his machine gun up.

“Not so fast, blondie,” the rabbit said and Thor took a deep breath.

Then he raised the axe and with a yell summoned a bolt of lightning powerful enough to destroy the Time Stone.

The air around them lifted and threw them a few steps away, but everything quickly went back to normal.

So much power… so quickly gone.

Thor looked back at the gauntlet. Then he picked up the Space Stone. The reason the rest of the Asgardians were dead. The reason he would never again see Loki, or Heimdall, or any of the other people that had gone through hell and that he had promised to protect…

Another lighting bolt and that too was destroyed. Then he went for the Power Stone, the one that Thanos had used to murder countless innocent lives.

Most of them hadn’t even been soldiers. They had just been… people. And now they were gone.

That stone too was turned to dust. Next he turned to the red one… If it was here, then either the Collector had given it up or Thanos had taken it by force. Either way, it was highly unlikely much of his world remained untouched.

Once that was destroyed, Thor looked at the last two. Everyone around him was silent and he couldn’t bring himself to look at anyone. He didn’t care to see their faces. Perhaps some would be understanding, but how many would be angry, thinking “you don’t have a right to do that, we are good people, we can take one stone and do good with it”.

Thor was afraid that if he heard anyone say it, he would give them one of them. Because what if they were right? Did Thor really have the wisdom to know what was best for everyone?

_You no longer have a realm to rule, a people to watch._

Star-Lord had said no one knew where the Soul Stone was, yet it was staring him in the face. Soul Stone, what a poetic name. He wondered what it was truly capable of. Could it bring the dead back to life?

Thor realized he was walking himself in circles, having replaced one stone in his mind for another.

He destroyed that one too. Now it was just the Mind Stone. Vision’s Stone…

Thor had briefly seen his dead body, whose color had all left him, but he hadn’t stopped to think about him. He could have used the Time Stone just to save him… but what gave him the right to decide whose lives were worthier?

“Let me,” a female voice called and Thor turned to Wanda. She looked tired – everyone did – but also miserable and she was very clearly not looking towards Vision’s body and ah, Thor understood.

He nodded and stepped back. Wanda walked closer towards him, the twigs underneath her feet cracking and it sounded so loud when everyone around them seemed to be barely breathing.

It took some seconds but eventually Wanda destroyed the final Stone. By that point, Thor couldn’t even feel the small explosion of air that each destruction had brought.

Thor looked down. Part of the Stones had been turned to dust, while the rest had been broken into tiny infinity parts. He wondered if they were capable of realigning themselves and almost laughed at the thought, not because it seemed impossible, but exactly the opposite.

Who were they to think they had the power to destroy something as old as the universe?

“Hey, buddy,” Bruce called for his attention, walking slowly towards him and Thor almost smiled, remembering how he had done the exact same thing to Hulk.

Hulk, who he hadn’t seen in a while. Thor would have to ask Bruce about that later. And about Bruce being in one of Tony’s suits; he had missed much.

“You okay?” Bruce’s eyes were kind but Thor didn’t reply.

To say yes would be a lie, yet he couldn’t bring himself to say the truth.

“I will be,” Thor finally settled on and Bruce clapped him on one shoulder. It was awkward, but Thor still smiled at him. It wasn’t about the gesture, it was about letting him know that he had a friend to lean on. Thor appreciated that, especially when he had so few of them left.

Thor looked up at the sky. Jane must be around somewhere. They had parted in mostly good terms, though there had been hurt from both parties. Yet, he knew that if he needed her, she would be there for him. And Darcy and Selvig.

The Warriors Three were dead, and for all he knew so was Sif. There were still Asgardians over the galaxy, but how many had died at the hands of Thanos? At the moment, Thor would rather live in uncertainty that sureness of how many of his kin remained.

Thor started walking away. Bruce called his name but Thor ignored him, alongside everyone else who tried to call for his attention.

As he left the forest, he felt Groot and the rabbit following him.

“What is your name, rabbit?” Thor asked out loud, though he didn’t look back.

The rabbit scoffed, “it’s Rocket. And I’m a raccoon.”

Thor nodded, though in truth he wasn’t sure he had ever met a raccoon before. Certainly not a talking one.

“Thank you for standing with me back there, my friends.”

“I am Groot,” Groot said and Thor smiled slightly.

It was a few moments before Rocket responded, “there was a part of me that wanted you to use the Stones. If he had the Reality Stone, then…”

“They might still be alive,” Thor said, not being able to bring himself to say “are”.

There was another pause before Rocket said, “you’re right” but he didn’t sound very convinced.

Thor didn’t reply. He didn’t know if words of support would be appreciated or not, and in truth he couldn’t bring himself to utter them.

Thor kept walking. He didn’t know where he was going; well, he did not even know where he was. Earth, for sure, but somewhere he had never been before. Quite beautiful, though.

_I could walk around for years,_ Thor thought and that made him abruptly stop.

He could in fact walk around aimlessly for years. There was no one and nothing for him to get back to.

His family was dead. His friends were dead. His people… all gone. His world destroyed beyond any hope of reconstruction. And even if that were possible, what were walls without people to inhabit them?

Neither Groot nor Rocket said anything and for that Thor was thankful. He didn’t know how long he stood there, staring ahead but not really seeing anything in front of him.

He imagined himself crying until his eyes hurt and were so dry he wouldn’t be able to cry for days. Or yell until he was hoarse and couldn’t speak without it hurting.

Even though Thor had just used a lot of power, he could still feel the electricity crackling around him. He almost summoned them, but then where would he direct it? The land around him had suffered enough, the last thing Thor should do was destroy it more.

He dropped the axe and kneeled. Thor touched the cold stone. It had taken him years to accept that no matter how much lightning he summoned through Mjölnir, the hammer would never warmed up from its cool temperature. Apparently Stormbreaker was the same.

It was a weapon with no rival. A weapon fit for gods… for the king of Asgard.

Yet, could one be a king without a realm, without a people?

“Take it,” Thor said, getting up without touching it.

“What?” He turned to see Rocket frowning at him, a funny look with his bushy eyebrows.

“As payment for my eye,” Thor said.

Rocket blinked, “that eye is worth… I don’t know, your cape maybe. Not the axe that you almost died creating.”

“I do not want it,” Thor said, not allowing his voice to break on the words. It was not a lie, he found.

Thor had been alive for over a thousand years and chances were, he would be alive for a thousand more. What he would spend that millennia doing, he had no idea, but he knew he did not want to fight anymore.

“It might still be necessary,” Rocket said though he was slowly inching towards it.

Thor shrugged, “then you will summon me and I will come and fight.”

“You can come with us, you know. We’re going to Knowhere and then… Well, there’s always people to save. That’s what we do, we’re the Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Thor smiled at the name. “It’s a good name.”

“I am Groot,” Groot said and Thor’s smile turned down.

“I have been in teams before,” he thought of the last one, of how stupid the name had been, how Loki had appeared with his knives and claimed to be Asgard’s savior, how Brunhilde had been drunk more often than not… How they had tried, together. “I need a break.”

Rocket and Groot shared a look. Then Rocket shrugged, “well, if anyone deserves it, I guess it’s you.”

“I am Groot,” Groot said and Thor smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.

“I will miss you too, my friend. You are always welcome to visit me.”

“And how are we going to find you?”

Thor shrugged, “you’ll find a way, I’m sure.”

Then he turned and kept walking. There really was no reason for him not to wander aimlessly for however long he wanted to.

 


End file.
